ROTE — A considerable amount of the public comment period for this month’s Lamar Township Board of Supervisors meeting centered around the Clinton County Speedway.

Scott Knisely wrote a letter to the supervisors and the Express, published on Aug. 20, 2024, urging the supervisors to reevaluate the rules for the racing times at the Clinton County Speedway.

In his letter, he wrote, “I believe there are many factory workers that would appreciate a little more sleep time if the racing ended at 10 p.m., versus the 11 p.m. end time, before their 11 or 12 p.m. shift starts. I am also told by neighbors these weekly races affect many pets and farm animals by the various rates of loud acceleration for approximately five hours per night, much like fireworks do… I am sending this letter to the Lamar Township Supervisors to consider reevaluating the race track rules and consider changing the end time to 10 p.m. starting next year.”

At the meeting, Knisely reiterated his stance on the matter.

“This racetrack is running past the allotted times. They’re running way up to midnight. I believe the last race is supposed to start at 11. I don’t think midnight is acceptable. I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure they’re running over the allotted times,” said Knisely.

The speedway has a curfew of 11:30 according to Speedway Promoter Jason McCahan who was also in attendance to give the supervisors insight on how the speedway runs.

“A lot of the facts he’s presenting are not accurate. The ordinance states (we) can race until 11:30 (p.m.) If a race is in progress you can go to 11:45 (p.m.),” said McCahan.

He also addressed Knisely’s comments regarding noise levels coming from the trucks hauling the racecars out after a race.

“That is not in the ordinance. Most of them are F250s… Regular truck traffic. You probably have a bigger concern with what’s going down I-80 or the milk trucks coming into the Amish farms that are going by these houses. The haulers we have are smaller than that,” said McCahan.

“In this day and age, it seems like 10 o’clock is a more acceptable time for quiet time in communities today,” said Knisely.

Knisely said he spoke to Steve O’Neal at Port Royal Speedway who told him they “absolutely have to be done, no questions at 11 o’clock. They cannot go past 11.”

McCahan, who had the phone number of O’Neal at Port Royal Speedway, texted him right there at the meeting and received a different answer. He read aloud a text that said, “Normal nights we must start a race by midnight. For (our) big shows (we) get an extension of an extra hour.”

“On a Saturday it is common to start at 6 (p.m.) On a Friday, with a working class person getting off work, (it) traditionally starts at 7. Some tracks start at 7:30 on a Friday. We have drivers coming from New Jersey, New York, all over the state of Pennsylvania. Guys are pushing it to make that,” said McCahan.

Knisely specifically noted there was a complaint two years ago claiming the speedway was violating “section 10 of the noise ordinance” that, according to the supervisors, doesn’t exist in the township.

Supervisor Larry Rhine said, “One of the reasons I was always told we don’t have a noise ordinance is because we’re in an agriculture region. Some of these farmers were plowing their fields at 10, 11, 12 o’clock at night to get done.”

Knisely later clarified his statement, saying the speedway was violating an ordinance under “Nuisances,” section 10.103.

Another resident agreed with the need for a noise ordinance, requesting they at least consider implementing one.

“Tractors are not as loud as race cars. NASCAR runs cars that look like cars, whatever they’re running that’s especially loud is louder than a tractor. So put in a proper noise ordinance that can be enforced. Yes (the speedway) draws people into the community, but those people don’t live here. They don’t pay taxes here. It doesn’t impact them. Restrictions run with the land,” she said.

“There are solutions racetracks have been coming up with… The racetrack put big 20 foot high billboards around the track so that the noise goes up instead of out,” said Knisely, offering an alternative.

Mark Miller, who worked security at the speedway previously, also spoke up during the meeting.

“Part of my job was to aggressively enforce the curfew. I can tell you right now if you heard a racecar motor after curfew, that person was booted,” said Miller.

“The last division that I run in the evening is a four-cylinder stock car. Cavalier, Ford Focuses, cars that you run on the street. (That) is the last division we run at night for the purpose of it’s the quieter division,” said McCahan.

In other news:

— The tennis courts in the township are 90 percent done, according to the supervisors

— A solar ordinance is in the process of being created, allowing for solar panels in the township.

— Burrell Road Project bids were opened during a work session on Aug. 21 and Toner Trucking & Excavating received the low bid with $24,600.